Coldplay perform at Paralympics closing ceremony

Coldplay were joined by Rihanna and Jay-Z as they played the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic games.

Rihanna collaborated with the band on ‘Princess Of China’, the track they recorded together for Coldplay’s ‘Mylo Xyloto’, and Jay-Z joined the band for a version of his ‘Run This Town’ and a re-worked ‘Paradise’.

The three-hour ceremony at the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium in East London honoured the 4,200 Paralympians from 164 nations, who sat around the a huge stage situated in the centre of the stadium.

Coldplay opened their colourful set, which reflected the four seasons, with a version of ‘Us Against The World’ from 2011’s ‘Mylo Xyloto’ album. “This is for all the athletes and all the volunteers,” then said Chris Martin, as they launched into ‘Yellow’, bathing the Olympic stadium in yellow light while a contemporary dance company performed around the band.

They then played the suitably titled ‘Up In Flames’, as performers danced around the athletes with fire, before a first of two versions of ‘Paradise’. An ice queen appeared in the centre of a frozen-like structure during ’42’, and the band were joined by a disabled drummer for ‘God Put A Smile Upon Your Face’.

Rihanna made her entrance on the back of wooden ship, that made its way through the athletes watching beside the stage, and performed ‘Princess of China’ with the band.

The singer would later sing her smash hit collaboration with Calvin Harris, ‘We Found Love’, from a bench that swooped high above the ground in the stadium. “Being at the Paralympics is the biggest honour,” said the singer. “These athletes are gladiators and are a true inspiration to me.”

Following a break in Coldplay’s set for the handing over of of the Paralympic flag to the Rio, who will host the Paralympic games in 2016, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Coldplay teamed up to perform the Jay-Z’s ‘Run This Town’.

The rapper then stayed with the band on stage to perform a reworked version of their hit single ‘Paradise’, before Coldplay closed the ceremony with ‘The Scientist’ and ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’.

by Wallace McTavish

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